Lose Weight After Age 50 Eating a Healthier, Lower Calorie Diet vs By Adopting An Exercise Regimen vs By Taking Supplements ... and 1 more

Both men and women can find it harder to lose weight after the age of 50 because:

By age 50, you are burning less calories in general, meaning that if you were burning 2000 calories at age twenty, you are now only burning about 1500, depending on your general health, diet, genetics and activity level

Many women experience full menopause right at age 50, which causes a lack of hormone or overproduction of hormones to shut down the endocrine system, causing insulin resistance and weight gain

Many men begin to experience andropause at this age, which means they produce less androgen and therefore their bodies do not produce more fat burning muscle

In both sexes, the resting metabolic rate will have begun to decrease (this can start in your thirties) causing a further weight gain of two pounds every year and the resulting weight gain or obesity makes it harder to get off as the years go by

The wasting of muscle happens naturally in older individuals, which causes your body to burn calories at a slower rate

The increasing inefficiency of your metabolism will have your body storing carbs as fat instead of using them for fuel, resulting in pudge and cellulite

Joint and muscle pain, the result of aging, insulin resistance or simply carrying around extra pounds has many people exercising less, making them more vulnerable to weight gain

Many people over age 50 have had desk jobs their entire life, leading to a sedentary life style that causes weight gain

Many people over age 50 are of the Baby Boomer generation that enjoyed a notoriously unhealthy diet full of simple carbs, sugar, starch, sodium, fat and additives

Many people of this over-50 generation smoked cigarettes on a daily basis, which causes damage to the every organ in the body and wrecking the metabolism

One third of people in North America have some form of insulin resistance by age 50, which causes Type 2 Diabetes and weight gain

Environmental pollution is on the rise, with most people over fifty being exposed to water, food and air that causes hormone-disrupting weight gain

Here are some ways to fight the ravages of time and lose weight after age 50.

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Method 1: Eating a Healthier, Lower Calorie Diet

Eating lots of vegetables is good for weight-loss past 50.

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Try to consume about 1500 calories a day

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You can use a free calorie counter at [www.myfitnesspal.com My Fitness Pal]. The site contains a giant database that can help you determine the caloric value of many common foods. This is very helpful when it comes to keeping your caloric intake below a certain level.

Eliminate it totally from your diet. Stop putting it in your tea and coffee and stop consuming it in colas. Read all ingredient labels to make sure that you are not accidentally consuming it in other forms such as glucose, fructose and sucrose in products such as cereals, juices, cakes and canned goods. If you need a sugar substitute, go for Maple syrup, agave syrup, stevia or Truvia.

Substitute sugary colas, ice tea mix and drinks with electrolytes (such as Gatorade) for ones that are high in sodium and sugar with flavored, carbonated bottled water

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It is important for you to choose waters that contain no sodium, sugars, artificial sweeteners or additives. Carbonated waters with infused natural fruit flavors are the best choice if you desire a break from drinking plain water all of the time.

Do not use artificial sweeteners to deal with your weight gain and do not buy diet drinks and foods that contain them

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Sweeteners to avoid are Advantame, Neotame, Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) Acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One), Saccharin (SugarTwin, Sweet' N Low) and Sucralose (Splenda). Artificial sweeteners are even officially viewed as food, but as chemical additive. Long-term use of them causes swelling of organs, such as the liver and pancreas and it also causes bloating and weight gain.

This is the number one step you can take today to start losing weight after age 50 today. Junk food contains everything that stunts your metabolism including sugar, salt, sodium, saturated fat and starch. Furthermore, most junk-food meals are much higher in calories than the item you could make at home. A home-made cheeseburger can be had for 360 calories if you make it yourself, but one purchased at a fast food restaurant can have as much as 1500 calories. A bag of French fries from a fast-food restaurant can be 400 calories where a baked potato, made at home might only have about 100 calories as well as supply you with Vitamin A and C.

Lower your sodium intake to 1600 milligrams a day and if you are eating more than 2300 mg a day you are consuming too much of it

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Begin by not salting your food that most of your sodium intake comes from the food you are eating. You should also void using salt substitutes as most of them contain one form of sodium or another. It is also crucial to read the labels of any foods that you buy to make sure that they do not contain a large amount of sodium. Any ingredient with the word sodium or NA (the chemical name for sodium) is one that you should leave on the store shelf. If you do buy salt, buy pure white iodized table salt asthma supports the health of your thyroid and helps to rev up your metabolism

Try to eliminate bread, pasta, white rice and potatoes from your daily diet as the high-glycemic foods transform into sugars that impact your blood sugar levels. Cauliflower is the exception because it is very high in chromium, which helps regulate insulin resistance and also high in fiber, which helps your body get rid of excess fluid and fat.

These are foods that have so few calories that your body expends more energy than the food contains just to consume it. These foods are high in fiber and water. Examples of negative-calorie foods that you should consume as often as possible include apples, bananas, black beans, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, grapefruit, lettuce, oatmeal, spinach, pineapples and radishes.

Be sure to eat a diet that contains healthy fats from avocados, shellfish, nuts and healthy oils such as olive oil and coconut oil

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These types of fat help your brain and endocrine system function optimally and help prevent high sugars in your body from causing an insulin reaction. Avoid unhealthy saturated fats, such as butter, margarine, mayonnaise, gravy, creamy sauces and the fats found in fried foods.

Method 2: By Adopting An Exercise Regimen

An older woman with weights.

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Begin a weight-training regimen

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Make your weigh to the gym to lift weights, free-weights or do circuit training at least three times a week. The act of lifting barbells, dumbbells or using pulleys can help you build fat-burning muscle. In many people, just having this simple After the age of fifty, you will have lost about twenty percent of the muscle mass that you had at age twenty, and you need to do this to increase your muscle mass. This, in turn, helps you lose weight while your body is at rest.

Try doing yoga or Tai-Chi at least once a week, but ideally three times a week

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This type of exercise helps all of your systems work together and strengthens your endurance. In particular, these graceful movements and postures also stimulate your digestive, endocrine and cardiovascular systems, helping your body to eliminate fat, waste and toxins.

Chromium is lacking in the average North American diet and the lack of this mineral can trigger insulin resistance and weight gain. If you suffer from chronicle low blood sugar (hyperglycemia) then check with a physician before taking chromium.

Some people gain weight over age 50 because they are not digesting their food properly. Their stomach acid is not as powerful and does not break down proteins and this leads to blood sugar and liver problems. This in turn can cause bloating and extra belly fat.

You can drink as much tea as you want all day as it is a natural diuretic that will help flush your system. The best teas to drink for fast weight loss are green tea, hibiscus tea, nettle tea, chrysanthemum tea and any type of orange, black or white tea.

Not only does it keep the doctor away, apples contain all of the vitamins and minerals you need, including chromium, which help to regulate your blood sugar. Apples are also a low-calorie food that helps to regulate your blood sugar and prevent fat from packing on your body.

Stay away from rich desserts and invest in some high quality chocolate with 70% raw cacao or more

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This type of chocolate is rich in polyphenols, which can help support the health of your liver and pancreas and help your body manage its blood sugar. Raw cacao also contains healthy fats that support your brain health and keep you in a good mood as you try to adjust to a lower calorie diet.

You may be experiencing and handling issues such as financing kids in college or you may be dealing with ailing parents. You might also be in a prime position of responsibility at work, because of your experience, which can also cause stress.

As you age, you may find yourself sleeping for shorter periods of time, which in itself, can cause hormonal imbalances and weight gain. Make sure your bedroom is dark, cool and free of laptops and cell phones and use white noise, peaceful music or a television turned on very low to fall asleep. This helps your metabolism to reset itself and you will also have more energy for exercising to burn calories.

Tips and Tricks

Consult a doctor first before taking supplements or changing your diet and lifestyle.

No matter how healthy you feel, you should always consult with your physician before embarking on a new diet plan

Women can definitely benefit from hormonal replacement therapy, which requires a consultation and testing from a doctor

It is normal to suffer some detoxification symptoms when changing their lifestyle, such as headache, fogginess and sore joints but most people actually experience a slight surge in energy and become free of pain a few days into it.

If you drink bottled carbonated mineral water, make sure that it is not high in sodium